Saturday, January 7, 2012

Carpet Brings Warmth and Flair Into Modern Interior Design

When most people think of modern interior design, they believe it must always mean stark or cold. Modern interior decorating is minimalistic, but the furniture, artwork and even carpet still claim reliable options beyond black, white and chrome.

Acoustics and Style

Carpet in any decorating scheme reduces sound impact and cushions your spine as you step across it. Carpeting can also add a warming element to the temperature of a room. Interweaving those elements into a minimalistic, modern interior uses color and texture that complement and enhance while not overpowering the concept of the design theme.

Modern interior design often stresses open spaces and accent colors while maintaining unobtrusive basics: light flooring, walls and ceilings, but white carpeting can be treacherous in showing dirt and stains. Black can hide more dirt than white, but it still shows contrast and certainly can't hide everything. Instead, try a cream, beige or light grey color.

Cut pieces of carpeting can, like laminate or ceramic tiles, lie counter-piled to the pieces around it. Use different pile heights, slightly different shades or pile directions to give a subtle contrast and texture to unobtrusive flooring.

Carpet rounds are similar to tiles but do not occupy an entire room. Not quite area rug and much smaller than full carpets, rounds can be circular or oval and can either be laid on existing flooring like stepping stones or inlaid in normal carpeting. Often of a contrasting color or texture, rounds can easily spotlight seating arrangements or standing lamps or entry ways. They can also be used exactly like area rugs on hardwood, laminate or tiled floors.

Open Lofts

If you have a large, open loft, differentiating the different living areas with carpeting-over 40 square feet-can delineate intention quite easily. Longer lasting than most area rugs, the not-to-wall carpets give distinction and sophistication while honoring a modern interior design.

Use a shade that is a degree or two separated from the flooring elsewhere to use as the room boundaries. Incorporating a different texture or design can accomplish the same end.

Use a combination of both for a distinctive look. Use one shade for hallways or main walkways between areas and a different shade, texture or design for the room separations.